What if the biggest barrier to your fundraising success isn’t your strategy or your donor list — but your workplace culture?

In this insightful episode, I sit down with Marcia Beckner, a nationally recognized nonprofit founder, CEO mentor, culture strategist, and host of the Nonprofit CEO SPARK podcast. Marcia is the creator of the Culture CARES® Framework, a proven model for helping nonprofit leaders build healthy, inclusive, and empowering organizational cultures where everyone can thrive — and where fundraising can flourish.

Marcia shares her powerful personal journey, beginning with a life-altering ovarian cancer diagnosis in her 20s that led her to found MyLifeLine Cancer Foundation. Under her leadership, the organization grew nationally and eventually merged with a global nonprofit, reaching over 300,000 cancer patients and families.

Today, Marcia works with mission-driven leaders across the country to tackle a commonly overlooked truth: your culture is your growth engine. Without alignment, even the best fundraising strategies fall flat. But when leadership, values, and strategy are united? Teams thrive. Revenue grows. Burnout fades.

💡 You’ll learn:

• Why fundraising breakthroughs don’t happen without cultural alignment
• How to recognize and repair cultural misalignments in your organization
• The essential components of the Culture CARES® Framework
• Practical leadership shifts that reduce burnout and unlock momentum
• How inclusive cultures drive both mission and money
• Marcia’s personal story of resilience, reinvention, and impact — and how it shaped her leadership philosophy

Whether you're an executive director, fundraiser, or board leader, this episode offers a fresh, energizing perspective on what it really takes to build sustainable, thriving nonprofits.

💼 About Marcia Beckner

Marcia Beckner is the Founder & CEO of Culture CARES®, a consulting firm that helps nonprofit executives lead with confidence, unify their teams, and build inclusive cultures. She created the Culture CARES® Framework, a practical, proven approach to healthy workplace cultures. After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 27, Marcia founded MyLifeLine Cancer Foundation in 2007 with a vision to transform the cancer experience through connection and community. She led its national growth and successful merger with the Cancer Support Community, expanding its impact to more than 300,000 cancer patients and families.

Today, Marcia guides nonprofit leaders through executive coaching, mentoring, and strategic advisory services. Her clients have included the Epilepsy Foundation, Colorado College, Colorado Nonprofit Association, Beryl Institute, The Art Garage, Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary, The Collaborative of the SCFD in Denver, and many more. Her passion is helping organizations build healthy, empowering, and inclusive cultures where all staff can thrive.

🔗 Resources and Links

• 🌐 Website: www.CultureCARES.com
• 🎙️ Podcast: Nonprofit CEO SPARK
• 📚 Book: You Are Meant for Great Things
• 🧡 MyLifeLine Cancer Foundation: www.MyLifeLine.org
• LinkedIn 

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